All-Star Teams set for Saturday

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Friday, July 12) - Major League Lacrosse held the All-Star Team selection on Friday Night at American Legion memorial Stadium in advance of the All-Star Game, presented by Moe’s Southwest Grill, on Saturday, July 13 at 7 p.m.

The MLL Ultimate Fan Fantasy winners, Cameron MacKenzie and Frank Ranfone, selected the players for teams Eclipse and Supernova in a playground-style process. MacKenzie is the honorary captain of the Eclipse, coached by Bayhawks head coach Dave Cottle, and Ranfone is the honorary captain of the Supernova, coached by Hounds top man Mike Cerino. Team Eclipse won the coin toss, earning them the first selection in the draft and the home field advantage.

Mackenzie selected New York Lizards faceoff specialist Greg Gurenlian first overall, while Ranfone and team Supernova countered by taking the other faceoff man in the All-Star Game, Anthony Kelly of Denver.

The team captains continued to focus on the specialized positions with MacKenzie selecting New York’s Drew Adams as a goalie for team Eclipse. Ranfone responded by selecting another goalie, Denver’s Jesse Schwartzman. The Eclipse picked up Brett Queener, a goalie from Hamilton, with its third pick.

Team Supernova used its third pick to select the first attackman of the draft, Denver’s Chris Bocklet. MacKenzie countered by selecting an attackman of his own, Rob Pannell of the Lizards.

After these initial offensive picks, the team captains began to differ in strategy. MacKenzie selected defensive players like Brodie Merrill (Hamilton) and Lee Zink (Denver) for the Eclipse, while Ranfone focused on the midfield, picking up players like Kevin Crowley (Hamilton) and Peet Poillon (Charlotte).

Both captains said they were pleased with their selections and are excited for the game.

“We have good team chemistry,” Ranfone said, “a lot of people that will work well together. Three of our attackmen are from Virginia, so they have chemistry from college.”

Ranfone also stated that he expects big games from Chris Bocklet and Peet Poillon.

MacKenzie echoed Ranfone’s sentiment. “We definitely have a solid roster, a lot of team players. I’m really looking forward to seeing these guys play. It’ll definitely be a good game tomorrow.”

The 2013 All-Star Game allows the world’s top lacrosse talent to all play on the same field, putting on a spectacular show in the annual exhibition game. To attend the game and watch as MLL’s best players become the Eclipse and the Supernova, visit the MajorLeagueLacrosse.com All-Star page for more info. If you can’t make it to the game in Charlotte, you can catch all the action, including the halftime skills competition, on ESPN2 starting at 7 p.m.